5 Hair Blogger Falsehoods, Debunked by a Professional Cosmetologist

[*Frisky*]

She does seem very knowledgeable when you hear her speak. I actually agreed with alot of what she was saying at this event she was at. But from what I hear, she is against alot of things that she may not discuss in certain settings such as naturals doing their own hair period and natural hair meet ups in general.

 

[tiffjust2002]

Well let's see I must be doing everythang wrong then.... LOL just kidding but I do color my hair myself at home and have been for years. I have no issues with breakage or dryness, I've learned which colors and brands work for my hair. I also shampoo weekly, works for me and my hair isn't dry either. I don't however DC with heat just in the shower while I shave and bathe with a cap on. I figure the steam from the shower is heating it up

So for me if it ain't broke don't fix it.....I went from Chin length to almost BSL in two years with healthy strands.

 

[Whimsy]

Well, I"m not a cosmetologist but I do all things listed here and they work for me. I will say, if I ever color again (besides jet black) I'll go to a salon.

 

[Napp]

oh ok.....*moves right along*

 

[StarScream35]

It does feel like she is salty. Its not like people are doing their hair, messing it up and having to go to her for her to fix it. She definitely comes across as annoyed which makes me think maybe she has lost business due to people doing their own hair.

 

[aishasoleil]

I'm am currently a cosmetology student... and I must say that the bulk of my knowledge of hair care has come from experience, books (other than my school textbook) and forums like this one. And I will continue to utilize these sites. Trust me, having a license does not make one an expert. Even some of my instructors have spouted out bs information in an attempt to sound as if they know what they're talking about. And I'm quick to call them out! This woman does sound as if she is well informed, but she also seems a little put out. Instead of trying to call out the negative aspects of sharing information via the online natural hair community, perhaps she should spread the good info to her clients. I'm always telling my clients about books I've read, blogs I follow and forums I stalk. They deserve to gain the knowledge make their own informed decisions about *their* hair!

 

[HappilyLiberal]

Critique #1: She does not understand the term Green House Effect.

Most naturals I know use this term in reference to using oil (normally Castor Oil) overnight on your hair--not in reference to a deep conditioner. My natural hair was frustratingly dry until I remembered that the last time I went natural I was doing the GHE with Castor Oil every night. Since I started doing this again, me and my hair are getting along just fine!

 

[NIN4eva]

There are generally bad apples among every profession. The problem among hairstylists seems to be that the ratio of bad to good is like 98% bad and 2% good. Not to mention that the beauty industry encourages and perpetuates an environment that rewards ego, celebrity and "style" over health and well-being. It's pretty gross.

 

[charmtreese]

I am a licensed cosmetologist and I will say that professional coloring can be tricky. However, it's more money in my pocket when people jack up there color at home and come in for a color correction.

My clientele is of all hair types and what works for one might not work for the next....I didn't find her comments condescending, just another opinion. Just like all the other opinions i see on the Internet. However, because I'm a hybrid stylist (Professional licensed/online hair community trained) I'm used to hearing differing techniques from both sides.

I do feel that the online hair community is quick to dismiss anything stylist say regardless of the validity of the information.

 

[weaveadiva]

I do feel that the online hair community is quick to dismiss anything stylist say regardless of the validity of the information.

This.
Maybe even more on this board because a lot of us have longer hair, so we figure 'if I got to this point I must be doing something right.'

I agree with the co wash statement. I had someone tell me that I shouldn't use shampoo at all. Ever. Only conditioner.

 

[sckri23]

Do you think that "dirty hair grows better" myth is taught in cosmetology school? Cause I went to work yesterday, this girl who just started said "dirty hair grows better". She knows cause she's in cosmetology school.......

I walked away acting like I was getting another drink but I really just didn't want to hear it.

I was thinking about going to learn some new ways to style my hair but if their teaching that myth......... I cant deal.

Swype thinks weird and wierd are both correct

 

[Vintagecoilylocks]

I thought it was interesting that they implied the bloggers and youtubers were uninformed. Some of the best advances I've seen in Black hair care was the introduction in conditioner washing. And if we had to wait for the product companies to get on board and produce low sulfate or sulfate free shampoo's alot of us would still have messed up hair. Also plenty of beautiful heads are using inexpensive products and getting fab results. Most of us had our experience with the "professional" and that is why we had to resort to sharing and trying alternative methods. For some reason she did not want to admit that it can work both ways. We have the visual results of beautiful head after beautiful head popping up on youtube and bloggs and forums like this showing that point 1, 2, 4, and 5 work just fine. And we have not had to break the bank for these results. If a professional is producing great results that is fine also. I for one gave up when I walked onto a high end salon in the Washington, D.C. area to get a deep conditioner and they wanted to speed up the process of taking down my braids by cutting them out. When I said why would I want to cut all this hair the lady was shocked to realize it was all mine. Scary. Then of course I was charged double because I had BCL length hair.

I say leave us simple peasants alone and let us find the things that work no matter how much they defy all that professional reasoning. By the way wasn't it a professional Quiad, that first started advocating the conditioner washing for curly hair. The original curly girl method does not require a special conditione rother than no cones. Terry La Flesh did alot of reseach and wrote a book, curly like me as well as others etc. Her hair is fab.

 

[MileHighDiva]

Do you think that "dirty hair grows better" myth is taught in cosmetology school? Cause I went to work yesterday, this girl who just started said "dirty hair grows better". She knows cause she's in cosmetology school.......

I walked away acting like I was getting another drink but I really just didn't want to hear it.

I was thinking about going to learn some new ways to style my hair but if their teaching that myth......... I cant deal.

Swype thinks weird and wierd are both correct

sckri23 No, I hope that's not taught in cosmetology school! However, I believe that myth persists, because low manipulation retains length. People are confusing "dirty hair" for low manipulation. For example, between me being lazy and my hair being fine, my hair can only be washed bi-weekly. Do you know how much hair I would lose if I sent my hair through all of that manipulation every week? My fine strands can't take it! However, if I go longer than two weeks without co-washing or washing my scalp goes on fire! This leads to breakage due to me scratching my scalp etc.

Maybe, if I had better technique and more patience I'd be able to cleanse more frequently and retain length. I've been experimenting with cleansing in two sections and detangling in the shower with a head full of conditioner. This has reduced the amount of hair I lose during the bi-weekly ritual significantly.

I'm currently at full BSB or MBL if you include the ends I need to trim. I would not be there w/o low manipulation.

 

[tomnikids3]

I would run as fast as I could away from her... I would never ever let her touch my hair. She is going to tell all these women who have hair to their butt, hey yall, you don't know what you are talking about nor what you are doing that hair is too old to be hanging there you need to cut it off.

I agree, and i have always washed my hair once a week in the winter and maybe 3 times a week in the summer. i use sulfate free shampoos for several years and my hair has grown a lot. Not feeling her advice on not washing once a week.

 

[andromeda]

It's interesting that this was posted on afrobella, she was speaking at the politics of hair symposium at penn a few weeks back and the topic of DIY came up. The tone was similar to the blog post, that bloggers and YTers are a poor substitute for "professionals" and that women are fooling themselves/doing themselves a disservice by listening to "amateurs" on forums, etc.i thought it was a crock of shyte (the proof is in the pudding) but afrobella and some others seemed to be agreeing with them. This post seems like a follow up to that (not sure if the timing fits).

What it comes down to is that as long as one can observe what their hair responds well to, can stick to some sort of regimen and understands pretty basic concepts like moisture, protein and retention, their hair will do fine. As far as styling, one only has to be a good mimic and gain a few basic skills like twisting and braiding (if that). Professionals need to get in where they fit in, which would be providing their services to those who can't do the above for whatever reason (time, etc). They need to be on their a game according to whatever their specialty is - if you're a stylist, there should be no half-stepping, you need to come correct on styling and cutting hair and be up to date on trends. If you're more of a hair care person, you need to strive to be on reniece level and become a trusted partner in helping clients achieve their hair goals, and empower them w/ knowledge and good at-home habits instead of exploiting their ignorance and making them over-dependent.

There's still an opportunity for professionals but this type of antipathy towards DIYing and the online community isn't going to help them realize it.

 

[SimpleLiving]

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[BostonMaria]

Haven't read all of the comments yet... I am GUILTY of all the 5 "falsehoods" as stated in the original post. Following these falsehoods my hair went from dry, limp, shoulder length hair to thick, waist length hair so I guess I'll just keep on being delusional *whipping my hair back and forth* LOL